Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 977: The Sixteen Strong - Novel Cool

Chapter 977: The Sixteen Strong

Chapter 977: The Sixteen Strong (Combined)

Lulu's chill aura spread out.

Toxic Sweet King kept its hand in its mouth, and in an instant, it turned back into an ice sculpture.

Inside the ice shell, its eyes glowed green.

The purple flower, now encased in ice, began to secrete a large amount of white powder.

Then, the powder exploded.

With a loud bang, the ice shell that had frozen the purple flower shattered completely.

Chunks of ice splattered in all directions.

A roar of surprise echoed from the audience stands.

"Toxic Sweet King's purple flower has broken through Frost Haven's ice seal!" Tian Yiyi exclaimed.

Some of the contestants in the contestant area lit up with excitement.

Since Ice Emperor Ram had displayed Frost Haven, this was the first time a familiar had managed to break through the ice seal on its own, even if it was just a Companion Artifact. This gave them some hope that Epic Skills weren't entirely unbreakable.

"The ice layer that froze the purple flower had already been corroded by the poison, making it much thinner", Tang Xueran analyzed. "Toxic Sweet King is now in a flourishing state, and the enhancement of its Grass-Type Skills has made its Magic Powder even more powerful. It successfully broke through the ice seal. It seems that when Ice Emperor Ram refroze it, he only targeted Toxic Sweet King and didn't strengthen the entire domain's ice seal."

As the commentators spoke, the purple flower suddenly began to spin rapidly, its petals scattering.

The petals fell to the ground, glowing green.

Then, one by one, purple flowers sprouted from the petals and grew rapidly.

Each flower quickly grew to over ten meters in height.

The purple flower, Toxic Sweet King's Companion Artifact, could change size according to Toxic Sweet King's will. When the proficiency reached a certain level, it could also split, growing multiple purple flowers. Each flower contained potent poison and could release Magic Powder. The opponent was either planning to release a large amount of toxin or use a large-scale Magic Powder attack to dissolve or destroy the surrounding ice... Qiao Sang watched the scene with a calm expression.

Under Teacher Mikara's guidance and further exploration, Lulu's Frost Haven had become much more powerful.

Whether the opponent used poison or Magic Powder, Qiao Sang was confident he could defeat them before they could act.

After all, just eleven normal-sized Gigantic Ice Spikes had been enough to force Toxic Sweet King into its flourishing state, clearly showing that its defensive strength wasn't very high.

"Maximum", Qiao Sang said.

The gem on Lulu's forehead glowed blue.

Almost immediately, a Gigantic Ice Spike, covering the entire arena and resembling a real ice mountain, appeared in the air.

In an instant, the entire arena was shrouded in shadow.

This... this is so big... The faces of the crowd were frozen in shock, disbelief, and bewilderment.

Tian Yiyi was speechless, then Huanran stood up from his chair, excitedly saying:

"An Ice Mountain has descended?!"

But then he realized he might be wrong.

Ice Mountain Descent is an Ice-Type Epic Skill that can condense a real ice mountain into existence, useful for both altering the landscape and attacking.

If it were a real Ice Mountain Descent, this ice mountain seemed too small.

But then he remembered that Qiao Sang was Ice Emperor Ram's Beastmaster, and he began to doubt himself.

In fact, as long as the proficiency in Ice Mountain Descent was high enough, the size could be adjusted at will.

Ice Mountain Descent is one of the more advanced and difficult Epic Skills to learn, as the ice mountain can exist in reality and won't disappear when the familiar who cast the skill leaves. Instead, it will remain like a real ice mountain unless the familiar cancels the skill or it gradually disappears due to weather or terrain changes.

If it were any other Beastmaster's familiar, he wouldn't have considered a King-level familiar capable of a highly proficient Ice Mountain Descent.

Unlike Qiao Sang, nothing about her can be understood with ordinary human logic.

After all, her Steel Sword Falcon, a Champion-level familiar, can unleash the Epic Skill Holy Sword. It's not impossible that Ice Emperor Ram might also be capable of summoning an Ice Mountain with high proficiency...

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Tang Xueran beside him spoke up:

"It's a Gigantic Ice Spike."

A Gigantic Ice Spike? Such a massive Gigantic Ice Spike?!

Everyone stared at the "Ice Mountain" in the sky, their minds momentarily blank.

In their experience, even a Master-level proficient Gigantic Ice Spike shouldn't be this large.

Chen Tianqin felt the shadow overhead and looked up. When he saw the massive Ice Mountain in mid-air, his pupils dilated, and only one word flashed through his mind: Damn!

After a 0.01-second daze, he snapped out of it and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Explode! All of you, explode!"

Purple flowers, each over ten meters tall, scattered large amounts of white magic powder, quickly spreading to every corner of the arena.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

Explosions echoed one after another in the arena, the shockwaves surging like a tidal wave.

Cracks appeared in the ice shell on the ground and on the Toxic Sweet King's body.

As the purple flowers split, thick Ice Armor condensed around Lulu's body.

The magic powder continued to explode around her.

Lulu's Ice Armor cracked, but it quickly restored itself in the next second.

This cycle repeated.

Before the ice shell on the Toxic Sweet King's body could fully shatter and more powder could explode, the Ice Mountain, as if descending from the heavens, plunged downward like a piercing force from another world, falling vertically!

The continuous explosions of magic powder caused large chunks of ice to fall from the bottom of the "Ice Mountain", but it had no significant impact on the "Ice Mountain" itself.

"Bang!!"

The "Ice Mountain" landed in the arena, the ground shattering and sinking several inches.

Seeing the Toxic Sweet King buried under the "Ice Mountain", unable to even let out a scream, everyone couldn't help but swallow hard.

Was it crushed flat...?

"A super-enlarged Gigantic Ice Spike successfully struck the Toxic Sweet King! The widespread magic powder didn't block Ice Emperor Ram's attack at all!" Tian Yiyi said. "Is the Toxic Sweet King unable to continue the battle? Is the match about to end?"

The Mechanical Familiar appeared beside the "Ice Mountain", looking perplexed.

It couldn't see the shadow of the fallen familiar.

At this moment, Qiao Sang spoke:

"Lulu."

"Ice Emperor."

Lulu called out, and the "Ice Mountain" covering the entire arena turned into ice crystals and vanished.

The Toxic Sweet King, lying deep in the ground, eyes closed, appeared to be unconscious.

The Mechanical Familiar observed for a moment, then waved the green flag toward Lulu and Qiao Sang.

"Ice Emperor..."

Lulu's Ice Armor dissipated.

The audience stands fell silent for two seconds before erupting into deafening cheers:

"Ah! Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!"

"Ice Emperor Ram! Ice Emperor Ram!"

"Wait, was that really a Gigantic Ice Spike? How could it be so massive! Did the commentator get it wrong?"

"How could the commentator be wrong? They are professionals."

"It must be the effect of Frost Haven. I heard that when using ice skills within Frost Haven, they can instantly condense and change size with the enhancement of ice-type energy. Did you see how Lulu's Ice Armor instantly repaired itself despite the explosions of magic powder? This wouldn't be possible outside of Frost Haven."

"How come Qiao Sang didn’t use such a Gigantic Ice Spike when she battled Zeng Feitian earlier, you know, the one where the Ice Emperor Ram fought the Iron War Dragon?"

"She must have been holding back. Professional Beastmasters always like to keep some tricks up their sleeves, don’t they?"

"But it felt like the Ice Emperor Ram was really giving it its all in that battle."

"That’s why you can’t be a Professional Beastmaster. Think about it, if she hadn’t been holding back, how could she have pulled off such a Gigantic Ice Spike today?"

Someone added:

"There’s another possibility—maybe her Ice Emperor Ram broke through to the next level of Frost Haven proficiency in the past few days."

"Is Frost Haven really that powerful?"

"What did you expect? It’s an Epic Skill."

"By the way, hasn’t Chen Tianqin lost three matches in a row?"

"I thought Chen Tianqin might lose, but I never imagined he’d lose so badly."

"In the first match, I thought his strategy was pretty good. He knew how to leverage a smaller force, but he ended up losing all three rounds."

"You can’t say he’s not skilled. It’s just that the battle rhythm was always in Qiao Sang’s hands. He barely got a chance to shine before he was defeated."

"Qiao Sang’s main strength is that you can’t gauge her power from one round to the next. Plus, Frost Haven is practically unbeatable. Unless your familiar’s energy far surpasses the Ice Emperor Ram’s, even if you manage to break through, you’ll still be instantly frozen. After all, in Frost Haven, it’s just a matter of a single thought."

"What about those purple flowers? Why didn’t Qiao Sang have the Ice Emperor Ram freeze them?"

"…Maybe she wanted to gather the maximum energy concentration to create the largest Gigantic Ice Spike and end the battle. Her final command seemed to be ‘maximum.’”

Family Section.

"Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang! Lulu! Lulu!" Ye Xiangting stood up, excitedly waving her cheer baton.

Then she remembered something, pulled out her mobile phone, took a photo of the field, and posted it on social media with the caption:

"Congratulations to my daughter! She’s made it to the Round of 16!"

Meanwhile.

Authorities Live Stream.

The chat stream went wild, filled with “ah ah ah” and Ice Emperor Ram with exclamation marks.

After several seconds, other content started to appear.

"Qiao Sang! I knew you could do it!"

"Ice Emperor Ram is simply perfect! Every battle brings me such excitement!"

"In my opinion, Ice Emperor Ram hasn’t even shown half its strength. It didn’t even use Healing Light!"

"Ah ah ah! Shouldn’t the Shu Luyana Research and Conservation Center prepare a few Aquariana for Qiao Sang to raise?"

"Some people beat the National Beastmaster Bureau at 17, while others are still struggling to pay for their familiars’ food at 37."

"National Beastmaster Bureau? Has the Authorities confirmed it?"

"Even though he lost, I still support Chen Tianqin! You worked hard! You just ran into a monster! We’ll see you in the next arena!"

…

Match Site.

A giant virtual screen appeared in the center of the arena.

It displayed photos of Qiao Sang and Chen Tianqin, along with the familiars they had used in this round.

Chen Tianqin’s photo disappeared, leaving only Qiao Sang’s, which was then magnified on the screen.

A small burst of light and fireworks appeared around her photo.

"Let’s congratulate Contestant Qiao Sang for securing a 3-0 victory in this match! She has successfully advanced to the Round of 16!" Tian Yiyi exclaimed, her face beaming with excitement.

Compared to Chen Tianqin’s victory, the 17-year-old Qiao Sang, who had bonded with a Clear Hidden Sprite, was clearly more of a crowd-pleaser, pushing the match to its peak.

Chen Tianqin cast a deep glance at the slender figure in the distance, then waved his hand to recall the Toxic Sweet King back into his Beastmaster Codex.

In the back room.

Qiao Sang carried Fangy, who was drinking Energy Recovery Serum, to his storage spot, opened the cabinet door, and took out the backpack.

Lulu, holding the Energy Recovery Serum, leaped into the backpack and skillfully extended her claws to zip it up halfway.

"Xunxun!"

"Xunxun!"

Treasure Seeker kept calling out excitedly, trying to understand what skill that guy used in the first match to make Big Brother Yabao unleash Blazing Fire.

Fangy paused her drinking and looked over.

"It's the Co-Return Trait", Qiao Sang explained. "This Trait ensures that the target attacking it will suffer the same status effects as it does."

"Ya Fangy"

Fangy fell into deep thought, struggling to digest the information.

"Xunxun!"

Treasure Seeker had understood and her eyes lit up with excitement.

Can it awaken this Trait?

Qiao Sang looked at her and smiled. "This is a Dark Attribute Trait. I'm afraid you can't."

"Xunxun..." Treasure Seeker's expression turned to disappointment.

At that moment, a voice from the side interrupted.

"Why are you unwilling to join the national beastmaster team training?"

Qiao Sang turned to see where the voice came from.

Chen Tianqin had somehow appeared beside him.

So, that's why you were hostile towards me... Qiao Sang instantly understood the source of Chen Tianqin's earlier animosity and replied, "I'm still a student. I need to focus on my studies."

Chen Tianqin fell silent for a moment.

"Joining the national beastmaster team early will allow you to participate in international matches sooner. With your talent and strength, you should be able to join the main squad quickly."

Qiao Sang repeated, "I'm still a student. I need to focus on my studies."

Chen Tianqin: "..."

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

Right, Qiao Sang, though exceptionally talented, is still a 17-year-old minor. At this age, kids can be rebellious, but they usually listen to their parents and teachers when it comes to important matters.

She was admitted to the Imperial Beastmaster Academy, so her elders must be reluctant to let her endure the grueling training of the national team. Her decision not to participate in the National Beastmaster Bureau's training must have been influenced by her parents!

With this realization, the remaining hostility in Chen Tianqin's eyes vanished.

He sighed and then smiled, saying, "Study hard. I hope to see you in the National Beastmaster Bureau soon."

He knew that for Qiao Sang to return to the National Beastmaster Bureau and participate in matches, she would either need to become an A-Class Beastmaster or wait until the twenty-year deadline.

Twenty years is too long.

By then, he might have already been eliminated from the National Beastmaster Bureau.

With that, Chen Tianqin turned to leave.

However, just as he took a step, he remembered something and added, "Be careful of Yuan Tianlong."

Chen Tianqin took another step, preparing to leave.

Yuan Tianlong? The mega-rich from the All-Dragon Lineup? Qiao Sang was taken aback. Then, she recalled the disappearance of his earlier hostility and couldn't help but ask, "Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" Chen Tianqin stopped and turned around.

Qiao Sang asked, "I've watched some of your previous matches and those of Illusionary Hate Fox. Why has it never shown the Mutual Demise Trait?"

Even though Illusionary Hate Fox has never lost in any recorded matches, the Co-Return Trait means that if it is hurt, the attacker should also feel the same pain.

I remember Illusionary Hate Fox being attacked in matches, but the attacker never showed the same pain.

So, there's something you don't understand either... Chen Tianqin felt a bit smug and smiled as he answered, "Ask your teacher."

With that, he turned and waved, walking away confidently.

Qiao Sang: "..."

Thank you, Boss Fatty Goo, for the support! (End of Chapter)

Chapter end

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